


You've Stolen My Heart, But I Don't Mind

by occultclysms



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Cat Burglars, First Dates, M/M, Misunderstandings, Restaurants, Tea, Wooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24026956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/occultclysms/pseuds/occultclysms
Summary: Minseok is a cat burglar who trusts his partner, Jongin, to give him the correct layout of every apartment, but his victim tonight, Chanyeol has just rearranged his bedroom so the bed is snugly below the window. As Minseok enters the apartment he happens to trip and fall on something soft yet gangly that lets out a yell. Minseok might murder Jongin at this rate.R3.067- This was written for Round 2 of Binghuo Fest [2020]
Relationships: Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35
Collections: binghuo fest round two / 2020





	You've Stolen My Heart, But I Don't Mind

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much to my beta for reading through this for me all in one day 
> 
> Prompt Number: R3.067  
> Prompt: Minseok is a cat burglar who trusts Jongin to give him the correct layout of every apartment. Chanyeol has just rearranged his bedroom so the bed is snugly below the window. Chanyeol also happens to be Minseok's victim tonight by chance, and Minseok, as he enters the apartment through the "living room" window, happens to trip and fall on something soft yet gangly that lets out a yell. Minseok might murder Jongin at this rate.

Being a cat burglar isn't Minseok's first choice of job, but then again, he needs the money as his day job doesn't get him enough cash to live on. Being a cashier isn't enough, and no one seems to want to hire a political science major.

Jongin, Minseok's roommate, seemed to be in a similar situation with his waitering job. While he makes more money than his coworkers (Jongin is very handsome), they’re still coming up short for the rent three months in a row.

So, Jongin hatches a plan. He decides to start stealing and asks Minseok to help him. Minseok reluctantly agrees. They set up a few rules to keep themselves safe:

1\. No stealing from people who really need the money.

That seemed like an obvious first rule. Jongin and Minseok are stealing because they don't make enough money to afford their apartment, so stealing from other poor people would just be an asshole thing to do.

2\. If things go south, Jongin would always be there to help Minseok out of trouble.

They've known each other forever (long enough to trust each other enough to steal together) and don't want anything to come between them.

3\. They shouldn't have a relationship with the person they are stealing from.

This way, if the stealing is enough to where the police get involved, Minseok and Jongin have no connection to the victim which lowers the chances of them even being put on suspect list.

4\. If they are investigated, they are each others alibis.

In the case of this happening, Minseok and Jongin are just roommates that know each other from college. They find the other easy to live with and just stuck with each other. Besides each other they don't really hang out with a ton of people who know they are super close and their families haven't met the other as anything more than roommates.

Maybe this is a touch too far for some casual thievery, but better safe than sorry. Going to jail isn't really a part of Minseok's five year plan and he doesn't plan on changing that anytime soon.

There isn't much else on his five year plan though, mainly just don’t die and don’t get arrested are on that list at the moment. Although, finding a nice romantic partner isn't not on it. Minseok doesn't put himself out there enough to really find people to date. Plus, ninety percent of the time he would rather lay on the couch with Jongin and binge some trashy TV show.

This is all just a very long winded way of explaining why Minseok is climbing the fire escape to a Chanyeol Park's apartment. Jongin had given him the floor layout, all he had to do was climb into the bedroom window and move through the apartment that way. The other window is blocked by Chanyeol's collection of plants, which while endearing, make Minseok's job more difficult.

Chanyeol honestly is a bit on the younger side for victims. Fuck, victims makes it sound like Minseok is going to murder Chanyeol. For the record, Minseok has not and probably never kill will someone. Anyways, most people that get robbed are in their 40s or older as that way they have some more substantial cash or other valuable things. Chanyeol, on the other hand, is only twenty one, the son of the creator of some big sports brand. Basically, Chanyeol is rolling in the dough, so to speak.

Minseok reaches Chanyeol's window and crouches down on the fire escape to avoid being seen by anyone near by. Thank goodness for wearing all black at night and Chanyeol's building being dark brown.

First step to breaking in is to check the window to see if it's unlocked already. Why add more work if it's not necessary? Minseok is honestly surprised by how many people leave their windows unlocked, especially on apartment buildings.

Attempting to lift the window, Minseok is relieved to see that Chanyeol's window is unlocked. This building is a newer one, so it would suck to have to use a bunch of tools to break in. There should be nothing beneath the window, so Minseok lowers his foot down, only to make contact with something that is definitely not floor. Minseok freezes.

"Hello?" says a groggy voice and Minseok is about to go into full panic mode. Somehow he's here stepping on his target instead of his target's floor. He's gonna kill Jongin.

Quick. Think of a lie.

"Oh my god!” Minseok screeches. "How did you get in here?" Minseok is still standing with one foot on Chanyeol's bed and the other on the fire escape, which is an uncomfortable position to say the least.

"This is my apartment though?" Chanyeol says, although it sounds much more like a question. "Come climb all the way in here." What. Did he just? Okay, this is happening. Minseok slides his other leg into the window and lowers himself onto Chanyeol's bed.

"Uhhh, yeah. But I didn't realize that."

"Oh, are you one of those people who forgets their keys all the time, so they break into their own apartment? Because my friend, Baekhyun, does that all the time. So, he's had some similar situations before," Chanyeol rambles, and Minseok can only halfway make out his face in the dark. The moonlight highlights Chanyeol's ears, fluffy red hair, and the slope of his nose, but everything else remains fuzzy.

"Yeah, I'm one of those people," Minseok replies, going along with everything Chanyeol is saying. Chanyeol is sitting up in bed, but his legs are stretched out and Minseok can feel one of them touching lightly against his. "I thought I climbed the right fire escape, but clearly I did not, so I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep." Now, Minseok is just making up bullshit, but Chanyeol nods along.

"Would you like some tea?" Chanyeol asks. "I wouldn't be a very nice neighbor if I didn't offer you something at least." This guy cannot be real.

"Uhhh, sure." This is so weird, but tea sounds amazing right now. Chanyeol hops out of bed and stretches his arms over his head before going over to the doorway and flicking on the lightswitch. Light fills the room and Minseok gets a better look at Chanyeol. He's dressed in a loose tee shirt that slips off one shoulder and boxers, he's also much more handsome than Minseok thought he would be. Like, he's seen a picture of Chanyeol before, but the photo didn't really do him justice at all.

"I feel very underdressed now, but that's okay," Chanyeol says, rubbing one of his eyes. Minseok realizes he should probably get up off Chanyeol's bed and follow him into the kitchen area, which Minseok has to act like he couldn't walk to blindfolded.

"It's okay. I kinda crashed into your bed, which is a place you don't expect people to just fall into." Minseok trails behind Chanyeol into the kitchen and takes a tentative seat at one of the bar stools lining the counter. Chanyeol walks to the other side and opens one of his cabinets that's chalk full of tea.

"What kind of tea do you like?" Chanyeol asks. "Personally, I love English breakfast, but I'm kind of in the mood for jasmine. I'm indecisive." Chanyeol is quite possibly the most easy going person Minseok has ever met.

"I'm flexible, but both of those options sound good." Chanyeol hums and grabs one of the tea containers from the cabinet and sets it on the countertop. He closes the cabinet then grabs his kettle from one of the nearby drawers and Minseok can't help but notice the way he's relaxed, but graceful as he does things. Chanyeol is all long arms and long legs and he very languidly retrieves everything in a way that Minseok is intrigued by.

Chanyeol quietly fills the kettle with water and places it on the stove. Once the kettle is on, he leans against the counter top and eyes Minseok.

"Since we're here, why were you out so late and why didn't you have your keys?" Chanyeol asks. "I'm sure it's at least a little bit interesting as it brought you here." Chanyeol smiles, and Minseok catches a faint dimple on one of his cheeks.

"I was out with my friend, Kai and we were drinking for a little bit, then we started wandering around the city until we felt sober and went home. I must have lost my keys at the bar or they are sitting in my apartment right where I left them." The lie flows from Minseok with a problematic amount of ease. He doesn't like that he can lie so easily. At least easily when he can see it coming.

"Sounds fun," Chanyeol drawls. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a cashier at a grocery store," Minseok says. It's always easier to lie when there's a bit of truth mixed in. "Kind of a lame job, but no one really wants to hire a political science major."

"That sucks. What do you wish you were doing then? I'm sure there's a way you could get your dream job, or at least close to it if you have a bit of help." And there's this shine in Chanyeol's eyes. One of innocence and beauty. The kind of glimer only seen in those that haven't been fucked over by the universe.

"I really wish I could be a management analyst for some company. I don't really care which one, but I think it would be something I could enjoy and feel sucessful at." This isn't part of the plan at all, but whatever. Everything is fine for the moment. After his tea, Minseok will leave this apartment and never come back again.

"That's really cool," Chanyeol replies and there's this sincerity that makes Minseok's heart swell. His heart is cooing over this boy and how sweet he is, but his brain is all red flags. This is really not the time for Minseok to get romantically involved with anyone, let alone someone he's supposed to be robbing. Alas, Chanyeol is making it very easy. "I might be remembering all wrong, but I think the company where my dad works is looking for someone like that. If not, maybe they need another one and just don't realize it."

"That's a really sweet offer, but I don't even know your name," Minseok counters. He totally does know Chanyeol's name, but Chanyeol doesn't know that.

"I'm Chanyeol Park, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Chanyeol smiles again, but this time it's much softer and Minseok isn't a dick, so he smiles back.

"I'm Minseok Kim and ditto." This time, Chanyeol laughs, but he's interrupted by the kettle whistling and spins around to deal with it. He prepares the tea with complete concentration and Minseok watches him as he very carefully pours the hot water into two mugs, each with a tea bag inside.

"I haven't heard someone use the word ditto in forever," Chanyeol says as he sets down the cups and sits down next to Minseok. "It's honestly refreshing. Like, I totally forgot that was even a word, but now I remember and it's such a cool feeling." Minseok has to suppress a giggle because Chanyeol only gets more endearing.

"It's certainly not what you hear a lot," Minseok replies, taking a sip of his tea and hoping it won't burn his tongue. It does and he winces.

"Tea still too hot?" Chanyeol inquires, sipping on his like it's a reasonable temperature.

"How do you do that? This tea is practically still boiling," Minseok whines.

"Lots of failed attempts eventually turned into me being able to drink tea at any temperature," Chanyeol admits. "It's a pretty useless skill, especially when I cook and have to put a lot of seasoning on everything because otherwise I just can't taste it." Minseok laughs even though what Chanyeol said wasn't even that funny.

"That's amusing." They fall into a peaceful quiet, drinking their tea. Minseok finishes his first surprisingly and he sets the cup on the counter, not quite ready to leave.

"You're done already? I always like to take as long as I can to drink my tea because one time I accidentally drank all of tea in my apartment, but for some reason I couldn't go to grocery store, so I had to suffer for like three days with no tea. I nearly died," Chanyeol rambles.

"Interesting. I'm always pressed for time. In fact, tonight is one of the first nights in a while where I've been able to press pause on life and just relax without worrying too much about tomorrow," Minseok confesses. He's going to be so dead tomorrow at work, but this will have been worth it. It's refreshing to talk to someone who isn't Jongin or a customer for once.

"Well, I'm taking this as good bye then," Chanyeol says, hopping up from the bar stool. "I'll walk you to the door as I'm sure you can find your way back to your apartment easily from here." Oh, right. Minseok 'lives' in this apartment building now, even though he couldn't afford the cheapest one in this neighborhood. That's great.

"Yeah, thanks for the tea," Minseok replies, slightly sad sounding. It isn't intentional, but he's really had a nice time.

"Would you like my number?" Chanyeol asks, and this is the first time Minseok has seen Chanyeol as anything other than calm. His cheeks are a bit pink and he avoids Minseok's eyes. "Y'know, just in case you get locked out again because it can't be easy to climb the fire escape."

Minseok cracks a smile and hands Chanyeol his unlocked phone. Chanyeol types in his number carefully and hands it back to Minseok. Their fingers touch, if only for a second and Minseok feels sparks fill his insides.

Chanyeol does indeed walk Minseok to the door and gives him a little wave as Minseok walks down the hallway, pretending he has some sort of clue as to what he's doing.

┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴

When Minseok gets home that night, he doesn't murder Jongin like he had planned. Instead, he falls into bed after sending Chanyeol a quick text that he's going to bed. Minseok could have never spoken to Chanyeol again after taking Chanyeol's number. That could have been the end, but something about Chanyeol makes Minseok want to risk it all as they say.

Minseok falls asleep without hearing back from Chanyeol and that's probably for the best as he needs to get some sleep tonight.

At six am the next morning, Minseok's alarm starts blaring. Jongin always complains about Minseok's alarm being too loud and waking him up when he could sleep for another three hours before his shifts. Minseok always counters with the fact that if Minseok slept through his alarm, they would have half of the money they normally get (at least in the legal way).

Minseok shuts off his alarm after the third ring and sighs. He grabs his phone from the charger and flicks on the screen. He has a few random notifications from different games, but what intrigues him the most is a text from Chanyeol.

Chanyeol: i know this might be a little fast, but would you like to go on a date tomorrow after you work (assuming you do have work then)?

That text was sent right after Minseok went to bed, so Chanyeol must mean today. Which means that Minseok might actually have to make an effort today instead of hiding his hair under a hat. Not to say he doesn't pride himself in his appearance, but generally speaking, it's much harder to find the will to hop in the shower after only getting three hours of sleep.

Minseok hesitates on texting Chanyeol back as it's now the day after and some of Minseok's rationality is coming back. So far the only real lie Minseok has told Chanyeol is about where he lives and worst case scenario he could pretend to move. Or get evicted. Not even that unrealistic.

Against his better judgement, Minseok texts Chanyeol back.

Minseok: okay. i get off work at 4 so anytime after that is good

Chanyeol: alright great! i wanted to take you out to my favorite restaurant (my treat)

Chanyeol: how does a 5 o'clock reservation sound?

Minseok: that sounds great. you can pick me up from work :)

Minseok attaches the address of the store he works at and suddenly he's a lot more motivated to leave his bed. He hops up and climbs into the shower, taking the extra time to soak under the hot water. He'll have to speed up in other parts of his morning routine, but that's okay.

Sometimes when Minseok's alarm wakes Jongin up, he'll make Minseok coffee and if it's a really good day, Jongin will even make eggs.

Apparently today is one of those lucky days as once Minseok exits the shower, he's greeted by the smell of eggs and coffee. He wraps a towel around his waist and heads into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Jongin," Minseok says, smiling as he picks up the cup of coffee resting on the counter.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Jongin asks, looking like he really doesn't want to be awake yet. "Did you steal a lot of good stuff last night?" Minseok freezes with his coffee cup halfway to his lips. He had forgotten that he needs to talk to Jongin about what happened last night. Maybe excluding the tea drinking and number exchanging, but something must be said.

"So, uhhh," Minseok begins. "Your floor plan was wrong and I climbed into Chanyeol's window and stepped on him." Jongin's jaw drops and Minseok takes another sip of coffee.

"How aren't you in jail?" Jongin asks, completely dumbfounded.

"I convinced Chanyeol that I was his neighbor and lost my keys."

"Wow. You are something else, or maybe Chanyeol is for believing you in the first place. I'm very glad you're home safe though." Jongin takes a sip of his own coffee. "You didn't get anything from him though?"

"No, it would have been much too hard and it was already such a weird and sketchy situation, so I didn't risk it," Minseok replies. This is mostly true, but Minseok knows he could have gotten a few things out from under Chanyeol's nose (he's an exceptional thief after all), but Jongin doesn't need to know that particular detail. Minseok's phone buzzes and Jongin raises a brow at him.

"Who's texting you?" Jongin asks. Minseok knows it's probably Chanyeol texting him, but he can't really say that to Jongin.

"Probably just someone from work." Minseok glances at his phone and sure enough, Chanyeol texted him a smiley face. Biting back a smile, Minseok pockets his phone.

"Mhm," Jongin hums and Minseok shoots Jongin a dirty look.

"Don't 'mhm' me," Minseok whines. "I know what you're thinking about and you're wrong."

"I didn't say anything--"

"But you're thinking so loud it doesn't matter that you didn't say anything at all," Minseok counters. Jongin laughs and Minseok wishes his eyes could shoot lasers. That would make Jongin stop laughing. But sadly, Minseok doesn't have laser eyes, so he ignores Jongin and steals his plate of eggs as temporary revenge.

┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴

After work, Minseok is nervous. Chanyeol wouldn't tell him where they were going for dinner. At 4:25 pm, Minseok is standing outside of the grocery store where he works, dressed in nice black jeans and a lightweight turquoise sweater, tapping his foot against the concrete.

Minseok knows next to nothing about cars, but the one Chanyeol pulls up in is certainly fancy. Definitely something Minseok could only dream about owning. When Chanyeol pulls to a stop, Minseok carefully opens the passenger door and sits down, feeling immensely awkward. What if he scratches the seats? Or dents something?

"Why do you look so tense?" Chanyeol asks, pulling the car away from the curb and onto the main road.

"You're car is very fancy," Minseok admits. "And I'm scared I'll mess something up."

"Oh," Chanyeol replies, ears burning red. "I didn't think it would be a big deal, but uhhh, don't worry about messing anything up. In the end, it is just a car. I'm not super into cars myself, but my dad recommended this one, so I just said, 'yeah, that's cool.' Direct quote, by the way." The tension slowly unfurls into butterflies and Minseok nods, feeling a bit better.

"So, are you going to tell me where we are going?" Minseok asks, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Nope. It's a complete surprise, but it's near here. That's your only hint." Chanyeol's eyes are focused on the road, so Minseok takes this moment to stare at Chanyeol's side profile.

"I don't know that many restaurants over here, to be honest," Minseok says, which is completely true. He shows up at Italian Colors, the restaurant where Jongin works at so often that the manager knows his first and last name. "One thing I do wonder though, have you been told you're very handsome recently?" Chanyeol's blush spreads to his cheeks and he ducks slightly, eyes still on the road.

"You're too kind," Chanyeol mumbles. "I'm really just me." The more Minseok learns about Chanyeol, the more he likes him. Pretty, humble, and considerate? Sign Minseok the fuck up.

Minseok looks out the windows and watches the city buildings pass. The route feels almost familiar, but Minseok doubts it. What are the chances that Chanyeol's favorite restaurant is the one where Jongin works? So low. Like really really low. Especially on a day where Jongin is working the afternoon-evening shift.

Chanyeol stops the car in front of Italian Colors and Minseok feels his heart stop. There's no way. Chanyeol is getting out the car and Minseok should follow him. What's really the worst thing that could happen? They are in a public place, so Jongin can't yell at Minseok for being a lovestruck idiot, and Jongin won't do anything to blow their cover. Maybe Minseok can pull this off.

The second they walk through the double doors, Minseok tenses. Chanyeol looks at him weird and wraps a tentative arm around Minseok's waist, which is lovely because wow what a gentleman. The downside is that Chanyeol's arm is also very distracting.

Minseok doesn't even want to look at who's the hostess tonight because even if it's not Jongin, the person knows who he is. They walk up to the hostess stand and Minseok nearly cries when he sees Jongin standing there. Jongin honestly pulls off his work uniform quite nicely. He keeps his hair slicked back, white shirt crisp and tucked into his slacks.

"Hello there," Jongin says, eyes digging into Minseok. "How can I help you two?"

"Reservation for two. It should be under Chanyeol Park." Chanyeol doesn't seem to notice any of the hyper powered tension between Jongin and Minseok.

"Yes, I see. Right this way, sir." Minseok would laugh about Jongin being formal with them, but Minseok is too busy trying to think of how he can explain this to Jongin after dinner.

Jongin leads them to a more secluded table, one of the farthest ones from the bathrooms, which feels intentional, so that in the case of Minseok or Chanyeol getting up, Jongin will have more time to interrogate Minseok.

"Would you like to see our specials for the evening?" Jongin asks, directing his attention towards Chanyeol because he knows that Minseok memorized the menu for Italian Colors after losing a bet two years ago.

"Yes, please," Chanyeol says, timid. Jongin recites the specials off the top of his head and it takes all of Minseok's restraint not to mouth along with him.

"Can I take a look at the wine list?" Minseok asks and Jongin shoots him a subtle death glare.

"Of course, sir." Jongin produces a wine list from his apron and Minseok spends all of five seconds looking at the list before making his decision. If he's going to suffer through this date with Jongin thinking very loud murderous thoughts at him, he should at least get some alcohol.

Minseok orders the wine and looks to Chanyeol if he wants some too. Chanyeol nods and asks for a glass as well. Jongin leaves to go and get their drinks and Chanyeol looks at Minseok with his mouth in a line.

"I've been here a few other times before and had Jongin serve me, but he seems to be in a bad mood. Do you think something is wrong?" Oh, sweet Jesus. Does Minseok come clean about knowing Jongin or does he do something else and shrug it off like he has no clue.

"Well, actually," Minseok begins, but Jongin is already back with their wine. How he did that so fast, Minseok has no clue.

"Do you need a few more minutes with the dinner menu?" Jongin asks. Chanyeol looks to Minseok and Minseok shakes his head. He always orders the same risotto dish here because it's his favorite and the chef makes it better than any other person who has attempted to cook it (including Jongin).

"Yeah, I could use another minute or two," Chanyeol says. "I'll be right back though." Chanyeol excuses himself and the second he's more than five feet away, Jongin sits down in his seat and stares at Minseok.

"Okay, so I know what you're thinking--" Minseok starts.

"Yes, I can't believe you're here on a date with our target," Jongin hisses. "Do you know how serious this is?"

"Well, he already knows who you are apparently. He asked me why you seem upset," Minseok counters. "I thought you had no clue who he was."

"He was opportune, Minseok," Jongin counters.

"But I can't do the exact same thing here?" Minseok raises a brow and takes a glug of wine.

"The difference is you're setting yourself up for ongoing contact and we just can't afford--" Jongin stops mid-sentence when he spots Chanyeol across the restaurant. "I will talk to you later."

Jongin whisks himself away and when Chanyeol sits back down he looks to Minseok. "What was that about?"

"I know Jongin," Minseok confesses. "We're friends and he's mad I didn't tell him about our date." That's close enough to the truth for now. It would be so much easier to lie and make something up about Jongin being some kind of shitty waiter, but Minseok doesn't want to do that.

"Oh, well you could’ve said something when we walked in. We don't have to eat somewhere where your friend works. I'm sure you come here enough." Chanyeol smiles and Minseok feels his heart swell up.

"It's really okay, let's just order dinner." Minseok picks up his menu and pretends to read it over while Chanyeol does the same. Chanyeol's foot nudges at Minseok's and Minseok smiles. Is Chanyeol really going to play footsie with him in a fancy restaurant? Apparently yes. Minseok nudges him back and soon it's a mini war happening under the table. Chanyeol lets out a laugh that might be too loud for the setting and Minseok lowers his menu.

Chanyeol has the dorkiest grin on his face and Minseok feels himself mirroring him. The butterflies in his gut flutter harder and Minseok knows he's probably blushing at this point. Minseok's feelings are alive and well and he is absolutely fucked because of them.

┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴

Everything had actually been going pretty well for Minseok. Jongin isn't commenting on his relationship with Chanyeol, but Minseok knows he's a touch worried. Chanyeol is the first person they've let in in god knows how long.

Currently, Minseok is in Chanyeol's shower right before going to a shift at the grocery store. Chanyeol had let him stay the night last night and Minseok felt pretty good about it. Soon(hopefully) Minseok could bring up the idea of him moving out, so he can be honest about where he lives.

They have only been going out for a month, but it's getting harder and harder to hide things from Chanyeol. He's not even nosey. Quite the opposite, but Chanyeol still has a habit of almost catching Minseok.

"Hey, Minseok," Chanyeol calls, knocking on the bathroom door.

"Yeah, Yeollie?" Minseok replies. He could have sworn he could shower for another five minutes before he needed to get out of the shower before work, but maybe not.

"Jongin texted you asking if you're free tonight for a job." The way Chanyeol says that almost sounds like a question and Minseok tenses. "Wait, he sent another." Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is bad. Minseok turns off the water and quickly wraps a towel around his waist and he opens the bathroom door right as Chanyeol finishes reading whatever Jongin sent.

They make eye contact and Minseok knows it's bad when Chanyeol looks sad. His ears seem to downturn and the little glimmer in his eyes that Minseok loves so much is gone, but hopefully not for good.

"You're a thief." There's no question. Minseok doesn't even know what Jongin said, but there's no use trying to talk his way out of this one.

"Chanyeol, I--" Minseok can't even begin to explain himself before Chanyeol is shoving Minseok's phone at him and storming away.

"Fuck off, Minseok. I don't want to see you and your lying ass ever again," Chanyeol screams. "Get your stuff and get out of my apartment."

"But--"

"No buts." Chanyeol's voice is firm. "You lied to me from the beginning about everything. Next, you'll tell me you don't even live here." Minseok is silent. "Oh, great. What wasn't a lie, huh?"

"Lots of things," Minseok declares, finding his voice. "I really care about you, Yeollie."

"You have no right to call me that," Chanyeol huffs. "Was there no point where you even considered coming clean? How did you think this was going to work out?" Minseok takes a deep breath, ready to unveil his whole soul, but Chanyeol stops him. "Actually, don't answer that. We're over, so it doesn't matter."

Minseok feels his posture give up on him. There's no point in trying for forgiveness at the moment. Chanyeol won't even hear Minseok out, so what's the point? Minseok mumbles something about getting dressed and Chanyeol ignores him, instead, choosing to angrily make tea.

Taking one last sad look around Chanyeol's bedroom, Minseok dresses for work. He wants to cry, but he has to stay strong. After work, he can go back to his apartment and mope around all he wants. Besides, he works at a grocery store, there's cheap ice cream there.

┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴

Minseok tugs at the window, but it's locked. At least Chanyeol learned a bit of security from all of this. Small silver lining, but Minseok will take what he can get. Minseok isn't even sure that Chanyeol will answer him, but he really needs to at least explain why he does what he does to Chanyeol. Because Minseok doesn't steal from people just to steal. He steals so he can get by, and always steals from those that have much more than they need.

If Minseok had been able to rob Chanyeol, Chanyeol would have been able to go and rebuy everything Minseok stole and his bank account wouldn't even have a dent in it.

Lightly tapping on the window, Minseok hopes that's enough to get Chanyeol's attention. He really doesn't want to pound on the window, but that might be necessary as there's nothing in response to the light taps. This time, Minseok rasps his knuckles against the glass.

Chanyeol comes walking into his room and freezes when he sees Minseok. For a moment he hesitates by the door, weight shifting from foot to foot. Minseok makes a pleading gesture with his hands and Chanyeol crosses the room until he's only a foot away through the window.

"Can you let me in and can we please talk?" Minseok asks, projecting much louder than he would like to, but Chanyeol hasn't moved to open the window even a little bit.

"Why don't you just break in, you seem to be good at that." Chanyeol gives a sarcastic smile and lowers the blinds in front of his window. Minseok doesn't even remember Chanyeol having blinds, but they are probably new all things considered.

Minseok stares at the now covered window for a moment, eyes getting fuzzy as tears pop into his eyes. He understands why Chanyeol is mad, but all he wants is to explain himself. Then Chanyeol can tell him to fuck off, but he deserves to give Chanyeol the whole truth if anything.

┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴

Jongin: i know it's your off day today, but could you come by the restaurant today and just hang out. it's been slow and i'm lonely ;,(

Minseok sighs. He has been moping around for a over a week and Jongin is sick of it. Though maybe he's right and some time eating delicious Italian food will make him feel better. He begrudgingly gets out of bed and checks what time it is. It's half past noon, which isn't that bad considering he's been sleeping at the strangest hours when he can swing it.

Well, maybe he can do a little bit of self care before leaving his apartment. Brushing his teeth and washing his face sound pretty good right now.

Twenty minutes later, Minseok feels like a brand new person. His skin is clean, his teeth shine and his hair has been combed into an appropriate style for the day.

Maybe he can walk over to Italian Colors instead of taking the bus or something. It's not that far and fresh air is always nice.

The walk is quick enough and Minseok strides through the double doors and greets Jongin at the hostess stand.

"Hello, Minseok," Jongin says, looking slightly nervous.

"Sup, Jongin. What's up?" Minseok asks, anxiety building in his gut.

"Walk with me?" Minseok frowns but follows Jongin through the restaurant and into the backroom they keep for special reservations.

"What's going on?" Minseok asks. Jongin pulls out a chair and gestures for Minseok to take a seat. Minseok does as asked even though he wants to question Jongin a lot more.

Less than two minutes later, Jongin is bringing in Chanyeol and Minseok's throat goes dry.

"I cannot believe you--" Chanyeol protests before making eye contact with Minseok. Minseok's mouth goes dry. Chanyeol looks the same, but his hair is now electric blue and he's dressed in much more formal wear than Minseok is used to.

"I'm not asking you to marry Minseok, Chanyeol," Jongin reassures. "I explained some things to you earlier, but Minseok also wants to explain himself. I think you owe him that at the very least considering you didn't even give him a chance." Chanyeol opens his mouth to protest, but closes it promptly and sits down next to Minseok. "Minseok, how long do you need?"

"Like ten minutes I think," Minseok replies, eyes on Chanyeol, yet Chanyeol won't meet his. Jongin nods and leaves the too alone. Neither of them speak for a moment. "I'm really really sorry, Chanyeol." That seems like a good place to start. "I'm really sorry for lying and not just coming clean sooner. While I did tell you several lies, the biggest of which being where I live, I did actually catch feelings for you. I lied in the beginning so I wouldn't get arrested, but you were so endearing, I couldn't resist becoming a part of your life. I wanted to straighten everything out eventually, but it never felt like the right time and while that's a shitty excuse, it's all I have." Minseok pauses and takes a deep breath, risking another glance at Chanyeol, whose eyes look a little watery, but Minseok might be imagining that.

"I--" Chanyeol interrupts.

"And I feel really shitty for stealing from people, but me and Jongin can't afford basic utilities without some stealing and we really try to only steal from people who can afford to just replace whatever we stole without blinking an eye," Minseok adds on.

"Yeah, that's what Jongin told me," Chanyeol says sadly.

"So, yeah, that's all I wanted to tell you." Minseok sighs. There's been a weight lifted from his chest, but there's a bittersweet tinge as he knows this is probably going to be the last time he sees Chanyeol.

"How about this," Chanyeol suggests. "You let me help you out when you need money so you don't have to steal and we can start over."

"Really?" Minseok's eyes widen and he can't help the smile that overtakes his features.

"Yeah. I want to have a proper deep talk though, just so we are completely on the same page."

"Yeah, of course." Chanyeol takes Minseok's hand and squeezes.

"Let's start over. Hi there, I'm Chanyeol Park." And now Chanyeol's smiling too and fuck, the pieces of Minseok's heart come together again and maybe, just maybe there is hope for true love after all.

**Author's Note:**

> please don't leave constructive criticism on this as i'm not asking for any :)


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